An animal’s ability to regularly, completely, and rapidly let down its milk in response to a proper milking routine is termed its “milkability.” This is a factor that we can influence on the farm with proper milking preparation, milk flow, and cattle management.
During the National Mastitis Council Annual Meeting, dairy consultant David Reid, D.V.M., reminded attendees that machine milking is a unique example of a mechanical process that requires the cooperation of the cow. We want to milk cows out gently, quickly, and completely, and to do so, cows must be comfortable and ready to let their milk down in the parlor.
Milking cows gently means that we do not inflict pain or adverse effects. This includes limiting stress, particularly in how cows are brought to the parlor. Calm handling does not just matter during milking; stress can be caused in the cow pen and holding area, too.
During milking, we want to minimize cows flinching, stepping, or kicking. While some causes of these behaviors are out of a milker’s control, a gentle approach and milking routine will help cows let their milk down and cause less pain that influences adverse behaviors.
We also want cows to spend as little time as possible waiting to be milked and being milked so they can return to the pen and go about their day eating and resting. With a better and more efficient milking procedure, cows will let down their milk more effectively, and milking will be completed more quickly, added dairy consultant Andy Johnson.
The single biggest factor inhibiting a rapid and complete milk letdown is not achieving sufficient prep lag time, he added. Shoot for between 90 and 120 seconds to allow cows time to let down their milk. This time between first touch and attachment can include dry wiping, forestripping, dipping, and drying. “Stripping has a place on every farm,” Johnson encouraged.
Additionally, he noted how important drying is to udder stimulation. Wiping all four teats, flipping the towel over, and wiping again is an effective tool in cleaning teats and encouraging milk letdown, Johnson said.
Even though we want cows to milk out quickly, they must also milk out completely. This means avoiding under- and overmilking. Part of overmilking is ensuring letdown, as Johnson said 75% of overmilking occurs at the beginning of the process in the case the cow isn’t ready yet.
Complete milking also means ensuring you are using appropriate vacuum settings for your system and liners, Reid emphasized. Don’t neglect the role of your equipment in milk letdown. Beyond the cow, consider the path milk takes to the bulk tank or tanker truck. Is this path assuring proper cooling while handling the load of milk you are asking it to at a given time?
Achieving good “milkability” requires monitoring cow, personnel, and equipment factors, Reid summarized. When all three are operating effectively, animal health and well-being is maximized and the farm ships a high-quality product.
